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The 5 Minute Dog by Personable Pets Dog Training
Quick, practical dog training tips in under 5 minutes—because training your dog shouldn’t take all day.
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With over 20 years of family dog training experience, this podcast delivers real-life advice you can actually use. From simple tips and clear explanations to common behavior scenarios, we’ll help you understand why your dog does what he does—and what to do about it.
Training really can be easy. Let us show you how.
The 5 Minute Dog by Personable Pets Dog Training
#135 Game Day Dog Woes
Your four-legged friend might be your constant companion, but that doesn't mean they share your love for baseball, soccer, or little league games. In this eye-opening episode of the 5-Minute Dog, we tackle a difficult truth many pet parents need to hear: your dog doesn't care about the game.
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Welcome to the 5-Minute Dog, the mini-podcast that delivers practical training advice in less than 5 minutes. Your dog doesn't care about the game. I know that sounds harsh, but it's true. We think taking them to a soccer game or a little league game is a great outing, but for a puppy or a young, energetic dog, that outing can be a little too long and way too stimulating. They're watching balls fly, kids scream, whistles blow, and they're supposed to just lay there calmly for an hour or more. Yeah, not likely. What usually happens is they get restless, frustrated, maybe even start acting out, and not because they're bad, but because we're asking for too much. So here are a few tips to make those baseball games go a lot smoother.
Speaker 1:First, get their energy out before you go. Don't go straight from the crate to the car, to the field. That is a recipe for disaster. Take your dog on a sniff walk before you leave. Let them meander, check out smells, explore a little. Sniffing burns mental energy, and that's exactly what you need to do before asking them to settle. Second, bring a frozen foodstuff, toy, anything high value enough to keep their attention and fill it with something that your dog loves, and let that be their job while you're sitting and watching. It gives them something to do and it makes the experience more enjoyable.
Speaker 1:And third, scheduled breaks. If the game is an hour long, plan a short walk halfway through, just a couple of minutes to let them sniff, stretch, decompress. This helps prevent that moment where your dog starts barking or spinning because they've been asked to settle for too long without a break and, maybe the most important thing, know when to leave. If your dog is maxed out, it's better to leave on a good note than push through until they lose it. Ending early before it goes sideways sets you up for a more successful outing next time. So if you're heading to a game, think of it less as bringing your dog along and more as preparing your dog for a field trip. Walk first, pack something engaging, plan breaks, leave while it's still a win. That's how you help your dog learn to enjoy public spaces without getting overwhelmed.